I am a senior resident in a medical institution of national
reputation. There are some peculiar things about an ‘institution.’
There is a halo of extraordinary brilliance surrounding every
professor. Students all over the country look up to them as some wonder
creatures, people who are considered supreme authority in their own specialty. Only
the national toppers have an opportunity to learn in an institution. I have
though about myself as an average student. I believe in hard work and bit of
luck. I have nothing to do with supernatural brilliance. But in this premiere
institution, I have seen more people with extraordinary capabilities than any
school I have been to. I have been working here for some time and was confused
about my own academic identity. There is always a gap between professors and
residents, but yeah, there are exceptions.Recently I got an impression from two persons, which opened my
eyes, the answer to why there be this incongruity between residents and
professors.
It was a usual morning seminar presentation. The resident was
trying to present whatever he could gather on the power point with the ‘usual attitude’. The professor,
also the head of department was getting irritated with the ‘bland’ presentation. He
could not find a soul in the presentation. For him, it was another gimmick of
lack of interest in the subject. He explained, ‘these three years are like gold mine for you. If you try to spend
time with the patients and read your books, instead of sleeping and roaming
around, you will go back with something useful. Other wise, you people will
remain dumb all your life, and no one is going to teach you after these three
years, nor you are going to make an attempt to learn’. He continued ‘Consultants are like
deep well, you have to pass your bucket again and again to gather some
knowledge, it is not going to rain for you. I have to see that you are
interested and trying, then only I will respond. Some how it is your interest,
that is reflected like a telepathy to us, that push us to teach you.’
Well said… I was confused
again, why is there a problem, if the consultants are this much interested in
teaching, why are we not learning. Any way all those enthusiasm vanished as
soon as that seminar finished. After two days, I was lying in the duty room,
when two of my juniors were having a conversation. They were having the ‘resident talk’. But I liked the
statement made by one of them. It felt so true. He said ‘ this institution has deconstructed me. If somebody tell me left
main coronary is from middle cerebral artery, I will believe it.’
I have also heard this phenomenon from other professors too. It is
a ‘thing’ with the institution. They say ‘If you want to a ask question
during clinical round, better it to be the freshly joined resident or the exam
going resident. More chance of getting an answer based on knowledge and common
sense is from the fresh resident. If you see the resident is blank like a white
paper, sure it is a second year resident’.
It is true. The institution has a process of deconstructing the
resident. All the extra ordinary brilliant people surrounding the work place,
prejudice and the round the clock- work schedule make the resident go blank.
But, yeah most of them pull together themselves by the end of three years.
